AC types explained: what they do and how they differ.
So what are the different AC types and what do they all do?
Now that the sunny weather is finally upon us, keeping cool in the car takes more of an importance than it does at other times of year. Though lowering the windows, sliding the sunroof back or in certain cars, folding away the roof completely may seem like a good option to keep the heat at bay, there’s really only one way of properly doing it - and that’s with air conditioning.
Some cars have more complex climate control systems than others, ranging from manual air conditioning to automatic air conditioning, but all feature a myriad of buttons to help control them.
What is Air Conditioning?
Air conditioning and climate control systems keep a constant temperature inside your car. In its most simple form, manual air conditioning, you select whether you want it cooler or hotter than it currently is in the cabin, deciding the blower speed and air distribution manually, and this will be the same temperature throughout the entire car.
A car’s A/C system works by cooling the ventilated air with a refrigerant gas, which then circulates through your car to cool it, whilst also helping to filter out pollen, pollutants and bacteria.
What is Climate Control?
Climate control in a car allows you to set the desired temperature of the cabin, using extra sensors and a computer to allow more precise management of the cabin temperature.
What is Automatic Climate Control (Automatic A/C)?
Automatic Climate Control provides electronic control of the temperature, air-flow and air distribution inside the car, by controlling the fan speed and air circulation automatically.
Zone Climate Control
If you’re car shopping, you may have come across the terms “dual-zone climate control,” and “tri-zone climate control”, perhaps even “quad-zone”.These zones refer to two sets of controls, so that the driver and passengers can control their own ‘micro-climate’ within the car.
Dual Zone Climate Control / 2-zone Air Conditioning
Dual zone climate control in a car separates the car into left and right halves, allowing you to control both zones, or adjust them separately.
Tri Zone Climate Control /3-zone Air Conditioning
Using the 3-zone climate control, separates the left and right front passengers, as well second-row passengers in the rear of the car, so all passengers can choose their own individual climate.
Quad Zone Climate Control /4-zone Air Conditioning
In some cars, you have the option to adjust the air conditioning for each seating zone, meaning that each side of the second row gets individual controls, or, in a 3-row vehicle, both the second and third seating rows can tailor the temperature, blower intensity and direction of the air to their needs.
What do the symbols on my car AC mean?
Do you have a firm understanding of your car’s AC, or are you guilty of pushing car buttons randomly and hoping the air feels more comfortable as a result? If you’ve bi-passed reading your car’s manual to learn how to operate the AC, you may want to know what those common A/C symbols mean.
Types of Air Con
When to Use
- On hot days
- To demist windows
- In stop-start traffic
When Not to Use
- At higher speeds
- When you need maximum fuel efficiency
- With windows open
The snowflake button is one of the most crucial to the air conditioning’s control. Why? Well, it turns the system on, for starters. Pushing the aircon snowflake ac symbol engages the air conditioning, and kick-starts the a/c pump which draws heat and moisture out of the air before leaving it cooler than it was before.
One thing to note - you’ll have to turn the air blowers on in order for the air conditioning system to initiate.
Recirculation
Do you see that button on your dashboard with the image of a car and a curved arrow? Want to get your car as cool as possible? You’ll want to use this button, the recirculation button.‘But what is the recirculation button in a car?’ we hear you ask! Well, it recycles the cold air generated from the air conditioning system, instead of pulling the warmer air from outside into the car. When used correctly, using the recirculation button can help save on fuel consumption.
The longer the recirculation button is on, the cooler your car will be, just make sure you don’t use it when things get chilly outside. This is because the air conditioning needs to be adding fresh air to the cabin and reducing the amount of moisture inside - so fogged up windows are more likely to happen, so if your windshield and windows are fogging up, be sure to check the recirculation button is switched off.
External Air Intake
When recirculation is off, your car pulls fresh air in from outside.
Auto sign
Auto mode adjusts the fan and temperature automatically to keep the cabin comfortable.
Sync
Sync sets both sides of the car to the same temperature for even cooling or heating.
Air Con Service
An air-con service checks, cleans, and re-gasses the system to keep it working properly.